Cool!

I don't know if you've noticed the new button on the right hand side of the blog, but I have recently joined the Mama Buzz group (hive?) of mommy-reviewers. The group reviews products - mostly books and toys - geared for children of all ages. So occasionally I will be receiving a book or toy that one of the girls and I will try out and then I'll post what we think about it.

I'm looking forward being involved in the process. Isn't it too cool to think about getting to read books or try out toys before they're published/available? And what a great opportunity for the girls to see a glimpse of modern advertising/marketing practices. An occasional freebie is also fun, huh? So stay tuned in the coming months for glimpses of what our estrogen-overloaded house thinks of the latest stuff coming to stores near you!

Why the English Language HAS to be the toughest to teach.

Yesterday during Hailey's phonics lesson, she was sounding out the word "catch." She did not say the proper short a sound, so I corrected her.

Me: No, it's ca. Short a like in apple.

Hailey: Ca. tch. Catch. Why does everyone say it like this?

Me: What do you mean?

Hailey: You said "catch." I say "ketch."

English is hard enough to learn, and our poor kids are trying to learn it in Texas.

Blue is cool

So now I have a blue cast. Yes, today was my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon regarding my bum ankle. And it went pretty much like I expected. I am improving some but definitely not "all better." And I didn't improve as much as he had hoped. So he put a new cast on me, and told me to come back in two weeks. At that time, I'll get fitted for an orthotic insert to help support my foot once I get the cast off. Of course, these things take a few days to make, so they told me to expect yet a third cast to be put on at that time until my insert is ready.

At that time, I'll get the cast off for good and wear a boot (such as you wear if you break your foot) with the insert in it. Then I'll slowly transition into wearing the insert in regular shoes. After a few weeks in the insert, we'll evaluate whether this treatment has done enough to allow the tendon to heal and whether I can live with whatever level of pain I have at the time. If I can't, we'll have to look at surgery. Oh joy.

An unexpected side effect of all this is that we are discussing whether it would be wise to sell our little yellow car and buy one with an automatic transmission. I can't drive the car right now at all because of the clutch, and if I have surgery, I won't be able to drive it for months. I hate to do this because it is paid off and the suburban is just 4-5 months from being paid off. I meant to ask the surgeon about it today, about whether the motion of pressing the clutch is something I will ever be able to do. Guess I'll have to ask him in two weeks.

The nice thing was that I did get a chance to shave my leg, wash my foot clean, and scratch! I wish I had had something to soak my foot to get it feeling really clean. I also wish that I had thought to bring something to scrub my foot with - like a loofah pad - to get more dead skin off. I'll have to remember that in two weeks. Too bad I can't get someone to come with me to the appointment to give me a pedicure while I wait for the doctor...

Fruity

Last night, the kids were talking about their favorite fruits. Aubrey, our 10-year-old-going-on-16, tells her dad:

"I think my favorite is cherries. Especially marinated ones."

She can never remember maraschino. But I think our family from here on out will call them "marinated cherries."

Normal? What's that?

Though we got back into town Thursday evening, I still don't feel settled back at home. This is due to a combination of things, I think. First, Kelly and are are/were exhausted! Physically and emotionally completely drained. This is the closest family member I've ever lost, so I've never been this intimately involved in the plans and all the notifying etc. that goes on afterwards. Not that I did much of that, but Kelly did. And there were either people over at the house or people calling the house constantly in the days after Vickie's death. It's all completely necessary of course, but it is still draining for those involved.

And then there's just dealing with a loss like that, and helping the girls deal with it. That really takes a toll. I'm wondering how long it will hurt every time I see something that strongly reminds me of her. And I keep being surprised at how many things remind me of Vickie.

Then the morning after we got home, Ashlynn started running a high fever, with diarrhea and vomiting. So I sat and held her for the next 24 hours, pretty much non-stop.

So we still aren't feeling "normal" yet. I guess with any life-changing event, normal will change and we'll have to find out a new normal. But life has to go on, work needs to be done, school lessons taught, and these kids keep wanting to be fed. (Don't they remember that I just fed them this morning? Sheesh!) Much as I don't feel like it, we gotta kinda get back into it tomorrow. Social person though I am, I feel this urge to burrow into a hole somewhere and cocoon myself for a while. Not exactly practical, I know. But it has been nice this weekend to have a transition time between the hectic days of the funeral and our normal activity level.

My Mother-in-law

Vickie, my mother-in-law, lost her battle with cancer yesterday morning just before noon. She had been admitted to the hospital Friday because her chemo side effects were so bad, particularly her almost non-existent white blood cell count. At the time the doctors thought it was a side effect of her chemo treatment from a week previous. However, scans Sunday morning showed that the cancer had spread far beyond her liver. She had a mass in her abdomen, and they think it was in her bones, causing the low white blood cell counts. In fact, they now believe that most of the "side effects" were actually the cancer, not the chemo. However, they so closely fit the side effects - just worse - they did not find this until Sunday.

Vickie was such a special person that it is impossible to think of life without her. She was by far one of the best mothers-in-law EVER. She never treated me like an outsider, but like a daughter, and a loved one at that. She cheerfully taught me anything I wanted to learn from her, from a specific cooking skill to a sewing technique. She loved her grandchildren completely. She was always taking them for walks, playing with them, coloring with them, or whatever.

We 're all doing ok. The sadness comes in waves. Services will be Wednesday. My FIL especially is facing many challenges in the weeks ahead, as he'll also probably be selling the house as well as dealing with the normal things after a death.

Vickie was a believer, and because of God's promises, we know this means that right now she is resting in the Father's hands, cancer-free and glorified. One of her favorite hymns speaks to that, and will be sung at her funeral.

Because He Lives

God sent His son,
they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living
just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days
because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living
just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory
and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Words: Bill & Gloria Gaither

I love toddlers.

Really, I do. I think I love the toddler stage even more than the baby stage. They are unbelievable cute as they do ordinary things like run or read a book.
You really get to see their God-given personalities come to life.
The flip side is getting to see their little sin natures come to the fore more and more. Deviousness starts early, doesn't it?

"Life is so hard. You hurt my feelings so much! Boo-hoo-hoo!"

"Wait, are they still watching me?"